I had it on my last boat and it makes a much more tackified surface plus you don't have to worry about fins scratching or chipping the wood. Not sure which product it was but it was more of a rubberized coating rather than plasticky.

Bad idea. Its the same as spray painting an old gold necklace silver. Eventually, the paint job will look like crap and you have ruined a necklace. Just oil the platform and tell riders to be courteous with your platform, you know the same if you had a fiberglass platform. And I guess I'm lucky, after years of having boats, all with teak platforms, I have yet to have a major chip caused by someone's board or fins.

Teak decks are a love hate relationship. When I use up the last of my teak guard this year, I may be putting the line-x on. If I could get away with 2 oilings a year I wouldn't consider it, but to keep them really looking good it takes at least monthly TLC and would rather spend the time on other projects.

Personally I love plain ol teak. However after watching 8 people slip and land on there rear ends after jumping onto my swim deck Saturday, I think it may be time to look at some options. Or maybe not lol I felt bad but everyone who didnt fall found it quite funny. If I change I'll go to a Fiberglass setup.

The teak deck on the 5-year old boat I just sold looks like new. If you're the type of person that wipes the boat down after use to prevent water spots then it seems funny to say to say that a teak deck is work. However, there are many people that just don't take the time to do it. That's why my 05' looked better than the used 08' models on the dealers lot this past weekend.

I may go with a fiberglass deck next time. The one thing I've decided that would be nice though is a white transom so that it doesn't show board marks like the black one I had.

I struggled with the same issue. Someone fell and hit their head on my transom, and that was the last straw. My teak was also in terrible shape and spends the whole summer in a marina. I had it covered in line x then covered in gator grip. Here are some pictures. So far so good.

Not a teak fan, see far more that look bad than good. That being said our friends had linx on their teak and I liked it, but they took it off and had it oiled and sanded. It looks really good, hasn't hit the lake yet, so we'll see. The linex wasn't hot, because it was always wet, but it did wear in spots and the wood under started get water logged in spots.

Mine was done with Line X 6 years ago and looks brand new. I hated maintaining it and my 2 labs scratched the hell out of it getting in and out on their own. Yes a 80lb chocolate lab can be taught to climb up on his own but it is not pretty. Havent figured out WW's new phot insertion yet so no picts but can email some.
Rick

I kept my teak deck perfect for years. Then, after I saw people almost hurting themselves from slipping on it, I oil it a couple times a year and it looks like crap... but... nobody is slipping either.

Yeah, keeping mine so nice is the problem. Honestly i'm really torn on what to do. Having people slip on mine has really opened my mind. Yeah its funny as hell when they land on their rear, but what if someone was to break a leg or bust their head open. I'd feel so bad.... I just like the ol school look of nice Teak.. Im thinking about getting some warning flags for the rear of the boat that I could post up when we tie up lol

Please don't do it! It looks so terrible rhino lined. If you don't care about your boat and it's a POS then go ahead but if you have a nice boat just keep it oiled. I have never had anyone slip on mine but I can see how it can get slick. Maybe your friends should drink a little less so they can keep there balance if you don't want to oil it so often then get a cover that covers the swim deck also and it will last all season. In my opinion nice teak decks look classy and rhino lined decks look oakie. Just my .02

If I was to do it over I would just buy a piece of nice marine plywood and cover it and then add line x. That way when I sold the boat I would just bolt the brackets back on and she would be good to go. I think the deck looks ok, but the function is way better.

Alan, I was thinking the same thing. The only times we have had anyone slip on the platform, was a couple of instances when people were partying excessively. But hell, they would have probably slipped on a rhino-lined platform.

Do you guys, that are having issues with people slipping, leave your boats in the water all season? Maybe like a slime (algae) buildup or something.

Yeah algae is part of the problem. Also my boat leans a ton when filled for surfing. Proper teak care isn't really an option for me because of having my boat in the marina. Teak is beautiful and I will miss it, but I will sleep better at night.

These are all good arguments. I just like things looking brand new. It is tought to keep up on the teak deck when you store your boat 70 miles away. My cover does cover the teak. So for now I will just take it off and bring it home every couple of months and sand and oil it agian and again and agian.

The trick is to never sand it. If it's rough or discolored you rub it with bronze wool, not steel wool, and you've got it finished. If you feel you just have to sand it then never use anything finer than a 60 grit.

My previous boat was an 81 SN. I bought it in 2002 and tried to maintain the teak, but years of abuse by the PO left it in bad shape. The screw tips from the bottom were starting to come up through the the top of the deck and scratching skis and boards. I had it spayed by the local Linex shop and it was the best money I ever spent - dollar for dollar - on the boat. It was not abrasive, never hot, and never slick.

Any idea how well Line-X fills / hides imperfections?
Looking at some of the teak platforms here, I'm guessing it fills fairly well.

I'm rebuilding the fiberglass platform on my '79 Mastercraft Skier and have decided to Line-X it rather than try to fill in / match the gelcoat, but I'm not sure how smooth the surface needs to be and/or how well small imperfections will be filled or hidden when the Line-X goes on.

Did it to mine over the winter & love it. I used to use teak oil on it & it always took me a lot longer than 10 minutes to sand it, steel wool it & oil it. Not to mention drying time. Then it would look great & be slicker than snot for a week or so. Then return to looking like hell a month or two later. That may be different for a boat that is kept in the garage. But ours is kept on the lake & used 100+ hrs a year.

Our Linex rep has a Moomba that he sprayed the swimstep over 4 yrs ago. Still looks great. And he's successfully done like a dozen others.I had him spray mine with no texture in it at all so it came out smooth, and has a rubbery feel to it. It will fill in sand marks, but not big gouges or holes in the wood.

They can add as much or little texture as you want. And they can color match it to the rest of your boat.

I have gotten the best of both worlds with minimal upkeep. Used a product called Sikkens. It seals the teak and makes its look natural. Put a second coat on and put their "slica grip" additive in there and it gives you a nice, slip proof surface, while keeping your teak looking great. I have made it 1.5 seasons and could have made 2 but I had a "minor dock issue" due to a drunk driver in another boat. The silica gives it a sandpaper like( for lack of better word) fell and a sure fooot. but doesn't scratch or scuff your boards or your feet.

It comes in 3 colors. West Marine stocks them all. I like the Natural Teak, but buddy of mine has a darker gel boat and he likes the darker color.